Latest news with #Southportattacks
Sky News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Wife of Tory councillor jailed over Southport post 'not racist' and 'loved' African and Asian heritage children she cared for, husband says as appeal quashed
The wife of a Conservative councillor has lost an appeal against her 31-month prison sentence for an online rant about migrants on the day of the Southport attacks. The judgment handed down by Lord Justice Holroyd at the Court of Appeal on Tuesday said there was "no arguable basis" that Lucy Connolly's original sentence was "manifestly excessive". "The application for leave to appeal against sentence therefore fails and is refused," it said. In a statement, her husband Raymond Connolly, who lost his seat as a Tory West Northamptonshire district councillor in May but remains on the town council, insisted his wife is "not a racist" and that she "loved" children from diverse backgrounds while she worked as a childminder. Lucy Connolly was arrested on 6 August 2024 after calling for "mass deportation now" in an X post on 29 July, which also said hotels housing asylum seekers should be set on fire. "If that makes me racist so be it," she wrote. The post was viewed 310,000 times in the three-and-a-half hours before Connolly deleted it. She was sentenced to 31 months in prison at Birmingham Crown Court last October, after pleading guilty to a charge of inciting racial hatred. She was ordered to serve 40% of the sentence in prison before being released on licence. Connolly shared her X post on the same day three young girls were killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport last year. False information claiming the perpetrator was a Muslim asylum seeker spread online, leading to riots and unrest in multiple locations across the UK. Axel Rudakubana, 18, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 52 years in January after pleading guilty to murdering Elsie Dot Stancombe, Bebe King, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar in Southport that day. Connolly, from Northampton, later apologised for acting on "false and malicious" information. Reacting to the appeal decision, her husband described it as "shocking and unfair", adding that Connolly is a "good person and not a racist". Southport murders resurfaced anxiety over son's death Connolly last week told judges she was "really angry, really upset" and "distressed that those children had died" when she shared her X post. She said via videolink from prison that her own son died tragically around 14 years ago and that news of the children's murders in Southport had caused a resurgence of grief-related anxiety. "Those parents still have to live a life of grief," she said. "It sends me into a state of anxiety and I worry about my children." But in his judgment on Tuesday, Lord Justice Holroyd said the principal ground of Connolly's appeal was "substantially based on a version of events put forward by [her]", which he and his colleagues Mr Justice Goss and Mr Justice Sheldon "rejected". He said: "We of course have every sympathy with the applicant over the death of her son, and we can understand why she remains angry about the circumstances of his death." The judge said he "therefore accepts" that the events in Southport "had an impact on her which went beyond that felt by many others", but: "As the judge rightly said, she did not post a message of support and sympathy to the victims of the Southport attack and the bereaved." Connolly also told the judges that, despite conversations with her legal team, she had not understood that by pleading guilty she was accepting that she intended to incite violence. When asked if she intended for anybody to set asylum hotels on fire, Connolly said: "Absolutely not." But Lord Justice Holroyd said he found her to be "intelligent and articulate", and was therefore "unable" to accept that she "entered her guilty plea with no understanding of what it entailed". Defendant 'took care of children of African heritage' In a statement released shortly after the judgment on Tuesday, Mr Connolly insisted that his wife is "not a racist". "As a childminder she took care of small children of African and Asian heritage; they loved Lucy as she loved them," he said. "My wife has paid a very high price for making a mistake and today the court has shown her no mercy. Lucy got more time in jail for one tweet than some paedophiles and domestic abusers get." He said he believes the "system wanted to make an example" of his wife to ensure they were "scared to say things about immigration". "This is not the British way," he said. He added: "The 284 days of separation have been very hard, particularly on our 12-year-old girl. "Lucy posted one nasty tweet when she was upset and angry about three little girls who were brutally murdered in Southport. She realised the tweet was wrong and deleted it within four hours. That did not mean Lucy was a 'far right thug' as Prime Minister Keir Starmer claimed."
Sky News
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Lucy Connolly: Wife of former Tory councillor to stay in prison over Southport post
The wife of a former Conservative councillor has lost an appeal against her 31-month prison sentence for an online rant about migrants on the day of the Southport attacks. The judgment handed down by Lord Justice Holroyd at the Court of Appeal on Tuesday said there was "no arguable basis" that Lucy Connolly's original sentence was "manifestly excessive". "The application for leave to appeal against sentence therefore fails and is refused," it said. Connolly, whose husband Raymond Connolly was a Tory West Northamptonshire councillor until he lost his seat in May, was arrested on 6 August 2024 after calling for "mass deportation now" in an X post on 29 July, which also said hotels housing asylum seekers should be set on fire. "If that makes me racist so be it," she wrote. The post was viewed 310,000 times in the three-and-a-half hours before Connolly deleted it. She was sentenced to 31 months in prison at Birmingham Crown Court last October, after pleading guilty to a charge of inciting racial hatred. She was ordered to serve 40% of the sentence in prison before being released on licence. Connolly shared her X post on the same day three young girls were killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport last year. False information claiming the perpetrator was a Muslim asylum seeker spread online, leading to riots and unrest in multiple locations across the UK. Axel Rudakubana, 18, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 52 years in January after pleading guilty to murdering Elsie Dot Stancombe, Bebe King, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar in Southport that day. Connolly, from Northampton, later apologised for acting on "false and malicious" information. Reacting to the appeal decision, her husband described it as "shocking and unfair", adding that Connolly is a "good person and not a racist". Southport murders resurfaced anxiety over son's death Connolly last week told judges she was "really angry, really upset" and "distressed that those children had died" when she shared her X post. She said via videolink from prison that her own son died tragically around 14 years ago and that news of the children's murders in Southport had caused a resurgence of grief-related anxiety. "Those parents still have to live a life of grief," she said. "It sends me into a state of anxiety and I worry about my children." But in his judgment on Tuesday, Lord Justice Holroyd said the principal ground of Connolly's appeal was "substantially based on a version of events put forward by [her]", which he and his colleagues Mr Justice Goss and Mr Justice Sheldon "rejected". He said: "We of course have every sympathy with the applicant over the death of her son, and we can understand why she remains angry about the circumstances of his death." The judge said he "therefore accepts" that the events in Southport "had an impact on her which went beyond that felt by many others", but: "As the judge rightly said, she did not post a message of support and sympathy to the victims of the Southport attack and the bereaved." Connolly also told the judges that, despite conversations with her legal team, she had not understood that by pleading guilty she was accepting that she intended to incite violence. When asked if she intended for anybody to set asylum hotels on fire, Connolly said: "Absolutely not." But Lord Justice Holroyd said he found her to be "intelligent and articulate", and was therefore "unable" to accept that she "entered her guilty plea with no understanding of what it entailed". Defendant 'took care of children of African heritage' In a statement released shortly after the judgment on Tuesday, Mr Connolly insisted that his wife is "not a racist". "As a childminder she took care of small children of African and Asian heritage; they loved Lucy as she loved them," he said. "My wife has paid a very high price for making a mistake and today the court has shown her no mercy. Lucy got more time in jail for one tweet than some paedophiles and domestic abusers get." He said he believes the "system wanted to make an example" of his wife to ensure they were "scared to say things about immigration". "This is not the British way," he said. He added: "The 284 days of separation have been very hard, particularly on our 12-year-old girl. "Lucy posted one nasty tweet when she was upset and angry about three little girls who were brutally murdered in Southport. She realised the tweet was wrong and deleted it within four hours. That did not mean Lucy was a 'far right thug' as Prime Minister Keir Starmer claimed."
BBC News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Councillor's wife appeals against jail term for Southport tweet
The wife of a Conservative councillor who was jailed after an online rant on the day of last year's Southport attacks "never" intended to incite violence, the Court of Appeal has Connolly, from Northampton, used a social media post on 29 July to call for "mass deportation now" and urged followers to "set fire" to hotels housing asylum is appealing against the sentence of two years and seven months she was given after she admitted inciting racial staged a demonstration outside the Appeal Court in London. The post came after three girls were stabbed and killed at a holiday club in Southport on the same date, sparking nationwide evidence from HMP Drake Hall in Eccleshall in Staffordshire, Connolly told the Appeal Court when she initially wrote the post on X that she was "really angry, really upset" and "distressed that those children had died" and that she knew how the parents court heard that Connolly's son died tragically about 14 years ago, and that news of the murders in Southport had caused a resurgence of the anxiety caused by her son's King, representing Connolly, asked if she had intended for anyone to set fire to asylum hotels, or "murder any politicians".She replied: "Absolutely not." When asked why she had deleted the post three and a half hours after publishing it, Connolly added: "I calmed myself down, and I know that wasn't an acceptable thing to say."It wasn't the right thing to say; it wasn't what I wanted to happen."Connolly told the court that during discussions with her barrister at the crown court, she did not understand that by pleading guilty she was accepting that she intended to incite said: "When I wrote that tweet there had been no violence and it was never my intention to cause any." Her husband Ray Connolly had been a Conservative member of West Northamptonshire Council but lost his seat on 1 remains on Northampton Town Appeal Court hearing continues. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
The Independent
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Ex-Tory councillor's wife seeking to appeal sentence for racial hatred tweet
The wife of a former Conservative councillor who was jailed for 31 months after an online rant about migrants on the day of the Southport attacks is due to have a bid to appeal against the sentence heard on Thursday. Lucy Connolly said in an X post on July 29: 'Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the b******* for all I care… if that makes me racist so be it.' The post followed three girls being stabbed and killed at a holiday club in Southport on July 29, sparking nationwide unrest. It was viewed 310,000 times in three-and-a-half hours before Connolly deleted it. The former childminder, who is married to Raymond Connolly, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court last October after pleading guilty to a charge of inciting racial hatred. Mr Connolly had been a Tory West Northamptonshire councillor, but lost his seat in May. Lucy Connolly's bid to challenge her sentence is due to be heard at the Court of Appeal in London on Thursday, according to court listings. The 42-year-old, of Northampton, was arrested on August 6 and police officers found other posts on her phone with racist remarks. She had also sent a tweet commenting on a sword attack, which read: 'I bet my house it was one of these boat invaders.' Sentencing her, the Recorder of Birmingham, Judge Melbourne Inman KC, said Connolly was 'well aware how volatile the situation was', adding that she had encouraged activity which threatened or endangered life.
Daily Mail
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Tory councillor's wife to fight 31-month jail term for social media rant about migrants on day of Southport attack
The wife of a former Conservative councillor who was jailed for 31 months after an online rant about migrants on the day of the Southport attacks is due to have a bid to appeal against the sentence heard on Thursday. Lucy Connolly said in an X post on July 29: 'Mass deportation now, set fire to all the f****** hotels full of the b******* for all I care... if that makes me racist so be it.' The post followed three girls being stabbed and killed at a holiday club in Southport on July 29, sparking nationwide unrest. It was viewed 310,000 times in three-and-a-half hours before Connolly deleted it. The former childminder, who is married to Raymond Connolly, was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court last October after pleading guilty to a charge of inciting racial hatred. Her tweet was widely condemned as abhorrent - but her sentence has been a lightning rod for criticism from some campaigners. Former Prime Minister Liz Truss, who is calling for Connolly's release, has said: 'The severity of her sentence is completely unjustifiable and a shocking example of two-tier justice which now prevails in Britain'. Lucy Connolly's bid to challenge her sentence is due to be heard at the Court of Appeal in London on Thursday, according to court listings. The 41-year-old since deleted her post and blamed it on 'a moment of extreme outrage and emotion' when she was acting on 'false and malicious' information Mr Connolly had been a Tory West Northamptonshire councillor, but lost his seat in May. The 42-year-old, of Northampton, was arrested on August 6 and police officers found other posts on her phone with racist remarks. She had also sent a tweet commenting on a sword attack, which read: 'I bet my house it was one of these boat invaders.' Sentencing her, the Recorder of Birmingham, Judge Melbourne Inman KC, said Connolly was 'well aware how volatile the situation was', adding that she had encouraged activity which threatened or endangered life. Last month police chiefs were criticised for denying Connolly temporary leave, as she has been waiting four months to secure release. This is despite one prison expert describing her as the 'ideal candidate' for such a scheme. Documents suggest Connolly has not yet been granted the leave due to concerns over public and media interest in her case as opposed to any apparent failure to meet the criteria for temporary release, the Telegraph reports. Connolly had cited apparent deterioration in her daughter's behaviour at school, saying this was 'totally out of character'. She also referenced stress being placed on her sick husband, Ray, a Conservative councillor for West Northamptonshire who is suffering from bone marrow failure. The 42-year-old had taken her 'racist' post down within four hours when she uploaded it last summer but this was not before it had been viewed 310,000 times and screenshots taken. She was interviewed by police on August 6 and charged three days later, remaining in jail since as she pleaded guilty before her sentencing in October. Connolly has been eligible for release on temporary licence since last November, based on her prison time served. The system is open to inmates as a way to 'rebuild family ties', allowing for up to two overnight home stays a month. Only category A prisoners, many of which serve time for violent, terrorist and sexual crimes, those formally listed as escape risks, and suspects failing extradition are excluded under prison rules. Speaking on the process, Ian Acheson, a former prison governor who has advised the Government on extremism in jails, told the Telegraph he was 'concerned' by the 'apparent foot-dragging over consideration for release on temporary licence'. He said: 'It can't be right that someone who is otherwise eligible is not being considered because of either the prison's failure to properly risk assess or her 'notoriety'. 'In my opinion, and given the offence details and the background to her custodial behaviour I have seen, she ought to be an ideal candidate for early release to allow her reintegration to start.
